The present invention relates to handgun aiming devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for stabilizing the wrist and hand of a handgun user for consistently positioning the user""s hand and thereby improving the manner in which the user may receive, grip and aim a handgun.
In today""s world, handguns serve a variety of purposes including personal protection, law enforcement, hunting, and recreation. In serving these needs, however, a variety of difficulties often arise in the handling and firing of handguns which may be attributed to handgun weight, recoil caused by handgun firing, and instabilities and inconsistencies in the handgun shooter""s positioning, aiming, and maintaining the handgun""s position. A variety of attempts have been made to address these problems through handgun design. These attempts, however, have consistently caused tradeoffs to be made between handgun size, weight, recoil, and handling capability.
Other attempts have been made to address these problems through auxiliary devices. For example, sighting aids such as scopes and light emitting pointers are readily available for affixing to the barrel of a handgun to aid in its aiming. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,352, granted to Lorocco on Apr. 17, 2001, discloses a weapon sight device adapted for use directly on or affixed to the barrel of a rifle, handgun or other weapon. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,351, granted to Flubacher on Apr. 17, 2001, discloses a weapon sight device having a mounting base to be affixed to the barrel of a gun. These devices, however, tend to add to the weight of the weapon and present additional difficulties in holstering and handling the weapons on which they may be mounted. These devices must also be designed to survive the shock associated with the firing of the handgun, those shocks being effectively transferred to the device when they are fixedly attached to the handgun.
In addition, a variety of braces are available for affixing directly to handguns to aid in their steadying in both aiming and shooting. For example, stabilizing devices have been developed for attachment to a handgun and often rely upon a tension strap or a rigid member for stabilizing the handgun with respect to the arm shoulder or torso of the shooter. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,620, granted to Morgan in 2000, discloses an arm and handgun support apparatus configured to adjustably attach to the barrel of a gun as well as to the user""s forearm. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,842, granted to Mantymaa in 1998, discloses a wrist support device to be affixed to a handgun providing a bracing support for steadying the handgun in the user""s hand. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,765, granted to Gillum in 1982, discloses a steadying device to be affixed to a handgun to provide a second handle for the user to grip for steadying the handgun. In each of these examples, however, the disclosed devices require attachment of a substantially rigid member directly to the gun in order to produce the desired stability. As a result, the devices are cumbersome to use and do not permit very fast access to their benefits.
Other attempts to provide stability by attaching directly to the gun include the use of tension straps rather that substantially rigid members. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,448, granted to Gray in 2000, discloses a stabilizing strap that connects, at one end, to the barrel of a gun and, at the other end, to a brace that is attached to the user""s forearm. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,301, granted to A""Costa in 1985, discloses a harness/strap device for encompassing the user""s body and attaching to the butt of a handgun. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 2,985,980, granted to Broshous in 1959, discloses a strap connected to a gun and around the neck of the user, whereby the user straightens his/her arm to apply tension to the strap and thereby stabilize the handgun. In each of these examples, however, the user must attach the tension strap to the gun before the device can enhance the stability of the gun. Thus, similar to the rigid member devices disclosed above, these tension strap devices are cumbersome to use and do not permit very fast access to their benefits.
Other attempts to improve the stability of the gun, though not requiring attachment directly to the gun, do not enable the gun to be freely placed into the hand or removed from the hand. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,927, granted to Fortenberry on Mar. 6, 2001, discloses a firearm gripping device that wraps around the user""s hand while the user is gripping a handgun. Unfortunately, this device does not permit a handgun to be placed in, or removed from, the user""s hand without removing the device from the user""s hand, preventing the user from freely placing a handgun in his/her hand or removing a handgun from his/her hand without removing the device. Similar to the devices disclosed above, such gripping devices are cumbersome to use and do not permit very fast or convenient access to, or relief from, their benefits.
Other attempts to improve the stability of a gun, while not requiring attachment directly to the gun, have focused on reinforcing the user""s arm. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,874, granted to Troncoso in 1991, discloses a handgun brace that rests against, but does not connect to the handgun, providing a rigid support relative to the user""s forearm. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,886, granted to Canon in 1973, discloses a strap that affixes a rigid member to the user""s wrist for bracing against the user""s shoulder for stabilizing the user""s hand relative to the user""s body. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,553,878, granted to Canon in 1968, discloses a brace that may be positioned between the user""s hand and the user""s armpit for stabilizing the user""s hand relative to the user""s body. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,253, granted to Willumsen in 1991, discloses strap that encompasses the user""s neck and attaches to the user""s thumb for stabilizing the user""s hand with respect to the user""s body. These devices, unfortunately, do not permit free movement of the user""s arm while they are installed. They also require the use of both of the user""s hands. As a result, similar to the devices disclosed above, such arm stabilizing devices are cumbersome to use and do not permit very fast or convenient access to their benefits without compromising the normal functioning of the user""s arm.
In each of these cases the devices are awkward to install and remove from use with the handgun. Devices requiring attachment to a handgun must either be removed from the handgun prior to holstering or storage or will make such handling more difficult. Devices that may not require attachment directly to a handgun typically have restricted the movement of the user or restrict the ability of the user to alternatively grip and release a handgun. Further, these devices increase the difficulty of handling and storing the handguns and the devices. They are simply difficult to carry, which tends to defeat the benefits associated with handgun usage.
Moreover, none of the above described attempts to improve the user""s ability to consistently and accurately aim and shoot a firearm address the injuries commonly encountered by firearm users. These injuries often occur as a result of fatigue caused by prolonged holding, carrying, and firing of firearms.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a handgun shooting brace that prevents injury, promotes safety and improves shooting accuracy. In an exemplary embodiment, the device may be configured as a glove. In another exemplary embodiment, the device may incorporate a light beam emitter to aid in aiming a handgun without requiring the light beam emitter to be affixed to the handgun.
The method and device of the present invention address many of the shortcomings of the prior art. In accordance with various aspects of the present invention, an improved device and method are provided which enable the user to consistently and steadily aim and shoot a handgun without compromising the speed at which the user may receive and release the handgun and without encumbering the movement of the user""s arm. The device and method can also reduce injuries to the handgun user by reducing the impact of the handgun on the hand of the user when the handgun is fired. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a wrist and hand stabilizer is provided comprising a wrist and hand stabilizer and fastening means. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, shock mitigating means are provided. In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, sighting means are provided.